Flawed Editorial Endorsement for Steve Tye

The newspaper endorsement of Diamond Bar Councilman Steve Tye for State Assembly took me aback about few inaccurate facts of the editorial and requires me to set the record straight about Mr. Tye who has been my councilman for 9 long years.

Mr. Tye does not have a slight lead in the fundraising part of the campaign. According to Mr. Tye’s campaign finance reports he has raised an anemic $130,497, which includes the $100,000 he loaned to his campaign. It is critical to note that he only has raised $30,000, which is a far cry from the $250,000 to get past through the June Primary.

Yorba Linda Councilman Craig Young did flirt a run for State Assembly last year, but withdrew from the contest to focus the embattled efforts of a recall campaign against him that is underway pending verification of signatures from the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Mr. Young name is not on the ballot as a candidate for State Assembly.

Mr. Tye was notably absent during the 2006 Measure L known as Library Parcel Tax that would have raised $34 Million from Diamond Bar Taxpayers until the last days of the campaign that he came out against the proposal. Mr. Tye forgets in May of 2006 he made the motion to instruct staff to draft language to place the Library Parcel Tax on the ballot that cost taxpayers $50,000.

Mr. Tye lacks ability to comprehend that fees are taxes, because in September of 2010 as a Councilman he voted to raised fees across the board tied with cost of living for the next three years. Mr. Tye was adamant that the fee increase proposal was according to city minutes “not a tax but a user fee”, “was a proponent for adding a fee for licensing a cat”, “it is appropriate if it costs $100 to issue a permit to have a water heater installed in his home that he should pay the $100” and “likes the idea of someone plans to add to his home he pays the fees for it.”

Mr. Tye claims he was mad about junkets, but never curtailed the $1,150 monthly defined benefits that he and his colleagues on the council enjoy that gives them the privilege of medical benefits and ability to participate in a generous CalPERS pension plan.

The editorial says that Mr. Tye was not sure what kind of legislation he would propose specifically. Frankly, I have seen his actions up front, because his rhetoric along the campaign trail doesn’t match his record. Mr. Tye love for fees, waste of taxpayers funds and grandiose defined benefits is a recipe for bigger government that Sacramento politicians has long been accustomed to.

Therefore, Mr. Tye doesn’t deserve to be promoted to Sacramento as the next Assemblyman from the 55th AD.

2 Responses to “Flawed Editorial Endorsement for Steve Tye”

Greg Diamondsaid

If it’s Tye vs. Fritchle in the general election, Allen, I welcome your support for two years of a smart and congenial (though underfunded) Democrat as opposed to having Tye entrenched in office for 12 years! (Or don’t you care THAT much?)

Nancy Tyesaid

Allen, I get the difference between a fee the community has to pick up for others who have not been paying the extra funds for their water heaters and what a tax is. I don’t know why you enjoy misrepresenting. I find it interesting, yet very, very discouraging that you find an item, miss the point, and cannot spend any time looking at all the good he’s done for 25 years for his city. Wow. Is that your best shot? Have you just chosen to dismiss integrity, honor, dedication, faithfulness, commitment of him. Have you seen that Steve is who he says he is. I don’t think the other 2 republicans have been honest. If they have, then both of them are spending huge amounts of money calling eachother liars. I think the public is sick & tired of mud slinging and we don’t want to send someone to Sacramento that has a history of that. Steve has better things to do spending time building people & cities up, not tearing someone down. He is a very hardworking representative for his people. He is a hard working father & husband. He is a dedicated servant of the people. Yet, I just feel your political post is condemning. I just wish you all who post things would look at the whole picture & be fair. The USA is in such a sad state of dishonesty & greed. We need people like Steve who live their lives at a standard that is honorable to lead his people. Is he perfect, of course not, no one is. He’s my brother. So, if anyone has dirt on him, it would be me. It’s because I know who he is since he’s been born that I know the character of this man. I could not say I’d endorse all my relatives. We would be foolish not to vote him in to our assembly. I just wish you would have posted a more complete picture of the people you speak of, even foes. Someone has to start being more accurate with reporting information.